During orthodontic treatment, archwire is placed in the slots of dental brackets that are fixed to the teeth. This archwire is able to guide the teeth toward its desired positions for correct occlusion of the teeth. Typically, the ends of the archwire are held in place by buccal tubes secured to the molars.
Buccal tubes are used by orthodontists during the early stages of the orthodontic treatment; these tubes are similar to the orthodontic brackets in that they have an archwire slot. But, these buccal tubes also have a plate which is capable of closing the slot and forming a typically rectangular tubular opening. The plate is usually removed when desired to open the slot and convert the buccal tube into a dental bracket.
Convertible buccal tubes are used on the molars of younger children who do not yet have second molars. In the early stages of treatment, these buccal tubes serve as anchorage for the ends of the archwire. The cover over the archwire of these buccal tubes in the molars is typically removed before insulation of longer archwires to cover these tubes to dental brackets. Use of these buccal tubes enables the dentist to carry out treatment on the first molars.
Various buccal tubes have been described in the art, and will be provided to the patent office in an information disclosure statement in relation to this patent application.
It has been realized that it is possible for the cover of the archwire slot used in the buccal tubes to be dropped into the mouth during dental procedures. This is particularly true if the dentist is using a typical prying device which is used to remove the buccal tube cap. This represents an inconvenience to the orthodontist as well as to the patient.